"Come over tonight," Jake leaned forward on his elbows, red eyes inches from his computer screen. Some blurry bit of black and white video footage played on a loop. Nothing was clear enough to make out except what might have been a car and a bright flash of light. He knew what it was meant to be but that didn't do anything to help him make out the backdoor exit to the restaurant that had burnt down a few years ago.

"I can't, double shift," Hannah replied sadly. "I could do lunch tomorrow though."

"It's a date, I'll clear my schedule." He rustled through a notebook. "There, I'm all yours."

"Weren't you already?" she teased, falling silent after. The sound of her biting at her thumbnail was almost audible over the phone. "I'm sorry we don't see each other that often these days."

"Don't be," Jake said. He sat back in his chair, eyes focused on a dot on the ceiling. "You're doing something amazing and I see you when I see you. Besides, we talk all the time and it's not like you're avoiding me." His eyebrow twitched as he thought about how many times he'd had to avoid her. Somehow he didn't think canceling a date to hack into a database would go over well in terms of an explanation.

"I know, but I still hate keeping you waiting around for me."

"Babe, I'd wait for you til the sun died." He rubbed his eyes to flush out a bit of dust. "And I do have a life of my own you know."

"Really? What's that like?" The hospital intercom cut her off for a second, the squeak of her chair following it.

"I don't know, I was hoping you would fall for my bluff," Jake admitted. His smile stretched even further when he heard her laugh.

"Dork." She quieted as the intercom went off again. "Gotta go, see you tomorrow. Text me when you get home, okay?"

"I will. Go save lives!"

"Be safe!" she called back and the line went dead.

Jake dropped the phone onto his desk and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. He didn't know if he was trying to chase away dust or sleepiness anymore. All he managed to do was make himself see spots for a few seconds. Across the room he spotted a familiar bald head bent over a stack of papers.

"Warren," he called out. The smaller man turned and Jake nodded towards the copy room. They made their separate ways there and shut the door firmly behind them.

"You look like shit," Warren said bluntly. He looked Jake up and down, eyes lingering on the ketchup stain on his left collar.

"Thanks," Jake muttered, rubbing at the stain and making it worse. "I got the new schematics, second run tomorrow night."

"If you're asking me to tag along, the answer is no. I didn't get paid last time." Warren reached out for the door but Jake blocked his way.

"I didn't get paid either, but this time will be different," he insisted. Jake's shoulder drooped at his continued refusal. "Warren, please. I need that clip and she's the only one that can get it for me. I can't do this without you."

Warren looked away from Jake's pleading eyes, shuffling his feet. "That's not fair, Jake."

"Look, if we screw up again I'll buy you lunch for the week."

"Screw up doesn't just mean no pay, Jake. It could mean getting caught," Warren snapped. "I'm not sure if you noticed but I was barely holding my own against the bleached wonder and star boy. I'm not the kind of guy who does well in jail."

"We won't get caught." Jake hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him out of the room. "Trust me, no one is gonna lay a finger on my main man."

"You sound ridiculous." Warren shoved him off but couldn't escape the return of the pleading look. "Fine, I'll meet you at Hagen's tomorrow night. Tell Hannah I said hi, I miss her common sense."

"You got it," Jake called to his retreating back. His step was noticeably lighter as he sauntered back to his desk. The happy bubble that had enveloped him popped thanks to a sharp shout for his attention.

"Erwin, assignment," the high voice shouted. A petite woman blocked the way back to his desk. Natalie Pruitt and her useless stilettos had all the intimidation of a tutu wearing chihuahua. That didn't mean she didn't have teeth to bite with.

"Yeah, Chief?"

"Rift was sighted causing a ruckus down by the pier. Get down there and get me some witness reports," she rattled off the list of instructions like a short order cook repeating back a regular's order. How that much air could fit in the small woman's lungs was a mystery to everyone. She shoved his bag at him and propelled him towards the doors.

"Sure thing," Jake managed to respond around her man handling.

"And if you can get a word or two from Solar Flare I'll make sure to save you a bear claw next donut run," she promised. With a final shove she got him through the glass double doors and into the black and white tiled hallway. She turned on a heel to chase after another wayward reporter.

The closer Jake got to the pier, the darker his mood got. Already he could see the ambulances surrounding the toppled carousel on the water's edge. Three body bags sat along the side, surrounded by puddles. Jake forced his eyes forward and pulled his tape recorder from its case. The forceful tug dislodged a chocolate bar Hannah had snuck into his bag for emergencies. It calmed him enough to get him out of the car, wiping a crumb from the corner of his mouth as he wove his way through the dense crowd to the caution tape barrier.

Solar Flare was just on the other side, head tilted to the side with her hands covering the right ear. He'd seen other capes in a similar pose as they spoke into the headset. Jake had tried to listen in dozens of times but whoever kept their frequency out of his reach knew what they were doing. Solar's red lips were moving rapidly as she paced to and from in her latex gold boots. The light bouncing off of her was enough to make him squint. Camera flashes only made her shine more unbearable. It was no wonder no one could get a clear photo of her.

Finally, she dropped her hands and moved closer to a nearby police officer and the waiting crowd. Jake hollered for her with the best of them, hand extended to catch any glimmer of a word.

"Looks like Rift may have been a distraction," Solar announced. "This is nothing like his normal attack, too small. We are currently looking into who may have been using him for their own purposes but there's not much here to look at."

"Nothing here?" What about the destruction of the pier, the families terrorized, the dozens of workers out of a job without the activity here on the pier. Not to mention the body bags lined up to the side over there," Jake pointed out. He could feel the vein in his temple throbbing but kept his gaze fixed on her.

"A tragedy, of course. My heart goes out to their loved ones," Solar said with practiced sincerity and a dazzling smile. It melted the hearts of the crowd as it always did any time a cape spewed any half hearted sentiment. "Jake Erwin, right? From Merifield Local? You've got a pretty strong grudge against supers don't you think?"

"I just call it how I see it. When they're as reckless as you, someone should be holding them accountable," he answered. "We only have so many buildings you can topple and destroy." A harsh look passed between them but she was the first to lower her gaze.

"You call me reckless but all I've done is defend people from Rift. He's the one that attacked a family filled attraction."

"Because he knew someone would come to stop him, save the people and all that." Jake's eyes drifted to the body bags. "Or at least you were supposed to."

"I did the best I could," Solar spat through clenched teeth.

"You should have done better." Jake clicked off the recorder and pushed back into the crowd. In the safety of his own car, he allowed himself a minute to shout and shake and seethe. Only a minute. He turned the rear view mirror towards him and stared until the red in his face and the glassy eyes faded.

Jake leaned back in his seat, resting his hands over his face. It did nothing to block out the images that flashed through his mind. A body bag, fire, screaming, and the sun burning away in the middle of the night. "Dammit," he muttered.

Merifield Memorial was only a short drive from there, Hagen's diner was a necessary side trip. While he waited in the line to make his order, the tv behind the counter showed live footage from the most recent attack, the same he had just run from. Occasionally it would flash back to the actual event as news stations received footage from people who had been there. The waiter took his order, despite Jake's less than human grunts that he used to get his point across.

Twenty minutes later he was leaning against the third floor nurse's station, a brown paper bag swinging by his side. He'd come here that night too and now he wondered if following the past so closely was good for his sanity. The past chaos the hospital had been in continued to superimpose itself over the calm that surrounded him now. They'd been rushing by so fast that day he hadn't been able to get anyone's attention to ask about survivors. It wasn't until Hannah had found him that he managed to get any answers at all.

"Hey," Hannah called out, grabbing his shoulder gently to catch his attention. "Judy said you were here. Is everything alright?" She looked out of breath and her frantic eyes searched out every inch of his. "Jake?" Her warm hands moved to rest on either side of his face.

"I just wanted to see you." He leaned into her hands and shut his eyes.

"You went to the pier?" She rubbed a thumb over his cheekbone. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah, kinda lost my cool. I ate some of your nachos," he admitted and held out the brown bag towards her. It had been his excuse to see her but he realized now he hadn't needed one.

"I think I can forgive you, maybe," she said playfully. "Do you want me to come over tonight? I could get someone to cover."

"No, no I'll be alright. I feel a lot better now."

"Must've been the nachos." Hannah let his face go to wrap her arms around him. His heartbeat thudded in her ear at a steady pace.

Jake squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head. Ginger wafted up from her hair over the antiseptic smell that pervaded every corner of the hospital. "I should head back. Make sure you eat an actual meal tonight, alright?"

"Will do. Be safe, call me if you need me."

Jake passed her the bag after another short kiss, and then two more. His steps felt lighter now even if his arms felt heavier without her safely tucked into them. The elevator light flashed and the doors opened. As he stepped in, he heard her shocked shout from behind him.

"Jake, there's like five chips in here!"